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Public Relations: A Wonderful Overlooked Marketing Tool

There are few businesses today that can say they have all the business they can handle. Consumers and business-to-business establishments are still watching their pennies very carefully. However, there is a marketing tool you can use to drive business your way.

Are you using public relations (PR) to keep the customers/clients you have or get new ones? If not, you are overlooking a wonderful marketing tool. Here are five PR strategies you should implement today as part of your overall marketing plan.

Press Releases

Press releases are used to announce newsworthy information to the media. Press releases contain facts– but business as usual is not news. Press releases can be sent out when celebrating an anniversary, new company positions, a special sale, a special event or a charity event, etc. If you want your press release to get the attention it deserves, it needs to be sent to the right places and the right people in the media.

Tap Into Media Trends

Think about the trends that are occurring right now. Can your product or service tap into them? Most likely, your business can when you or a professional public relations consultant think creatively. One way to be aware of trends is to watch your local and national news, as well as read newspapers and/or magazines. Learn to listen carefully and be ready to pitch your story.

Update Your Website and Check Search Engine Placement

Have you looked at your website recently with a critical eye? When was the last time you updated your web copy? If your business has added new products or services, they should be listed on your website. Do you have testimonials on your website? Testimonials catch the readers’ attention because they help determine if the reader wants to buy your products or use your services.

Be sure your website address is on every press release you send out over the Internet, and it is included when a story is written and posted online. This helps your search engine placement.

It is also important to take the time to Google your company and your main competitors’ companies at least twice a week. If your company isn’t as prominent, determine what you or a professional can do to get you better placement.

Become A Visible Expert

If you haven’t thought about it until now, determine what is your expertise. Reporters and editors need experts for the stories they write for print or online publications, as well as for use on television/radio. Each media person needs more than one expert in the fields they cover.

You can become that expert once you define your area. The next step is to write (or have someone write for you) articles, press releases, announcements, etc. about you and your business.

Vicki Gerson, president, Vicki Gerson & Associates, Inc. is a member of the DBR Chamber of Commerce. She is a public relations consultant and print/website writer. Visit her website at: www.vickigerson.com